1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to release mechanisms wherein a sleeve is detached from a yoke upon receipt of a signal.
More specifically, this invention relates to a water-activated canopy release mechanism in which a sleeve is detached by explosive means from a buckle yoke upon contact with water.
A preferred embodiment of this invention allows the retrofitting of standard parachute harness buckles with the detachable sleeve herein described.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The need for simple and highly reliable release mechanisms for uncoupling a parachute canopy from its load upon landing in water is well recognized. For example, a pilot who has been forced to bail out of his aircraft is sometimes injured and often is unconscious as he enters the water. If he is unable to manually release the canopy, he is in grave danger of drowning as the canopy tends to drag him through the water or settles over him.
A number of arrangements of release mechanisms have been proposed to automatically uncouple a canopy from its load upon landing in water. U.S. Pat. No. 3,632,066 discloses a parachute harness release mechanism which employs electrochemical cells actuated by water to provide thermal energy for burning through harness control straps and to operate a pneumatic release mechanism for automatically opening harness buckles thus freeing the wearer from the canopy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,870 discloses a parachute release mechanism which is either water-activated or manually operable upon reaching water. The water-activated release or latch is squib-operated and placed in series with the manual latch.
A water-activated, quick release connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,122. A power source is activated by a remote signal causing a piston to operate through a rotatable driving member to rotate a shaft and release the connector fittings.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,556 discloses a quick disconnect coupling for parachutes and related equipment which is gas-operated but not water-activated. The coupling includes a piston which, when activated by gas pressure, causes a shuttle trunnion and a slide block to be repositioned in alignment with the joints in a tongue and notch combination thereby freeing the tongue from the notch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,846 discloses a water-activated, canopy release coupling in which the male and female members of the coupling define a common locking passageway oriented transversely through their engaged portions. A two-element bolt is disposed in the passageway and is adapted to move from a locking position to a releasing position.
Although many of the prior release mechanisms operate in a generally satisfactory manner, there exists the need for a mechanism which disengages in a positive fashion, is of rugged and simple mechanical construction and can be conveniently retrofitted to existing canopy assemblies, without reworking.